Its Jerry Time! announces the creation of Its English Time!, an entire eCourse, which teaches English as a second language (ESL) based on the twenty episodes from our hit web series.

Its English Time! was created and is being distributed by ESL Instructor Diana Tower. The course takes our 20 animated episodes, and transforms them into 20 interactive and challenging English self-study sessions.

Each unit focuses on one of the episodes and allows students to learn new vocabulary, expressions, phrasal verbs and much more in 8 simple steps. Students will challenge their listening skills by watching the videos (with and without subtitles) and studying additional audio recorded by Diana herself.

What makes this course one of a kind, is that it takes real English and transforms it into an effective tool to improve one’s English.

“It’s English Time” is valued at $275 (197€ ) but, for a short time only is available for $190 (137€), exclusively on Diana Tower’s website.

In February, Its Jerry Time! released IJT Special Edition, the comedy background music soundtrack to the series, which is selling on Amazon, iTunes and other online retailers.

The new CD gives both fans of Its Jerry Time! as well as fans of good-time piano music the background music from the show, including the Its Jerry Time! theme song Cornbread. All the songs were composed and performed by Jerry, who plays piano and narrates the series. Orrin, who animates the series, did the spectacular cover, pictured above.

The new CD features 19 piano and instrumental tracks, including two vocals. Some of the notable tunes include B Train Blues, The Avenue, The Hypnotist and The Naked Swim. The vocals include The Peck-Peck Song, sung by Chicago vocalist Wendy Warnimont and Put the Butter in the Fridge, which we’re planning for an upcoming single.

This collection of retro background comedy music and vocals from the series was recorded at Stable Sound Studio in Newport, RI from 2009-2010. It took a year and a half to finish. The album was engineered and mastered by Steve Rizzo, who also added instrumental accompaniment. Old friends Paul DeLuca, David Grimes and Tom Madden contributed other instrumentals..

The mystical Civil War vignette is presented on youtube in three parts: Part 2 is here and Part 3 is here. (Part 1 is above)

The vivid 28-minute French film features virtually no dialogue as well as the uncanny fantasy sequences of a Southern spy about to be hanged. Time slows down as the noose is placed around his neck. He dreams about his wife at home, who smilingly approaches, offering him a dish of sweets, with his daughter slowly swinging on the family swingset in the background.

The music in the film features a haunting ballad called Livin’ Man by Henri Lanoe.

The film, which is shown here edited for television, is introduced by a personal favorite, Rod Serling in a Twilight Zone episode from 1964.

Here for your entertainment is the first of a series of music recordings from Its Jerry Time! This music video is called the peck-peck song. It’s a Thanksgiving sing along for kids.

It combines the supreme efforts of my friend, the wonderful vocalist Wendy , along with the art of Mrs. Moyers’ 1st and 2nd grade classes at John D. McGovern School in Medway, MA. We recorded the song at Stable Sound Studio in Newport, RI, where the upcoming Jerrytime music album is getting the finishing touches.

Actually, the song has been on youtube for the last three years already as The Turkey Song an original tune I recorded at Blue Box Studio in Franklin, MA.

Please help make the peck-peck song The National Thanksgiving Day Song and spread it to every person or organization you know of with young kids! Let’s get ‘em all singing! You can download the song on itunes for a mere 99 cents.

In the past few years, I bought MAD subscriptions for my nephews and this year I thumbed through the Yearly Issue at a Barnes and Noble. The first thing I noticed was no subscription card. Then I found a feature called “Celebrity Piss.” Now, I thought, this wasn’t the MAD I once knew.

I wrote them asking if they were planning on publishing more features with foul language in the headlines but I never got an answer.

Today I was browsing The Daily Cartoonist, an industry website for and about cartoonists, and I read a story that said that starting with Issue #500 in April 2010, MAD was going from a monthly to a quarterly magazine. MAD Editor John Ficarra said, “The feedback we’ve gotten from readers is that only every third issue of MAD is funny, so we’ve decided to just publish those.”

Despite the nightmare scenario, BP has remained in charge. This unprecedented environmental catastrophe happened and our government basically turned it over to a corporation. The government’s job seems to have been cover-up and spin control. I don’t think they did enough and now it’s out of control with no end in sight. Well, at least we now know who’s really in charge, the corporations.

The song that stands alone at the top is… Alone Again (Naturally) by Gilbert O’Sullivan. It has a great title, self-pitying lyrics, whiny vocal and an infuriating catchy tune (which forms the basis to any true tearjerker) all with the backing of a lush orchestra.

Three of my top four choices are sung poignantly by one hit wonders. (Gilbert O’Sullivan, Eric Carmen, Terry Jacks) There are others that are sung by truly tragic figures. (Karen Carpenter, Roy Orbison, Maurice Gibb) And there are maudlin offerings by some of the top artists. (Beatles, Elton John) Plus there are some truly touching melodies. (Vincent, Faded Love, Are You Lonesome Tonight?)